Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

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But first,

this week Hungary's government passed a law that will radically transform how its universities are run.

It was built in Parliament as the biggest reform to Hungary's higher education system in decades.

The government claimed the change was to restore Hungary's universities and stop their decline.

In truth, it fits a troubling wider pattern in the country, which its leader proudly calls an illiberal democracy.

The Hungarian government has turned over its 11 main state universities to a series of foundations which are going to be controlled by the ruling party, the Fidesz party, which is a right wing populist party run by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Matt Steynglas is our Europe correspondent.

So how exactly will this handover work?

The universities have been placed under the control of public foundations.

And these foundations have also been given a bunch of assets to help fund them.

The government has done something which is characteristic of Orbán and Videsz, which is to take control of legal niceties of reform processes in order to subtly give itself tremendous power.

So the boards of trustees of these foundations are now going to be appointed initially just by the government with no power of veto or influence for any other bodies, including the universities themselves.

And the members of those boards can serve until the age of 80.

When one of them dies or retires, their replacement will be appointed by the board itself.

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